


The Turns of Life

by Blue_Night



Category: Football RPF, Real Person Fiction
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Coffee Shops, Developing Relationship, Eventual Happy Ending, Falling In Love, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Missed Chances, Non-Explicit Sex, Over the Years, Reunions, Same-Sex Marriage, Second Chances
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-06-25 19:54:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15647838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Night/pseuds/Blue_Night
Summary: Thomas meets Manuel in a coffee shop, but it takes him years until he gets a second chance with the man he loves.





	The Turns of Life

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Changjinators](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Changjinators/gifts).



> Dear Linzayachan,  
> you asked for another chapter of _'A Knight's Love'_. I hope that this will make up for the long wait for the next chapter of that story at least a little bit.  <33

Everything started in a coffee shop.

Thomas couldn't recall the exact day he entered it for the first time, but he remembered clearly that it had been a sunny morning in early autumn when he saw the sign for the first time, deciding that getting another coffee before his first class would start was a very good idea.

The coffee shop was unobtrusive and rather easy to miss as there were much bigger shops on the way, but it was in the same street as the building where Thomas' lectures took place, and the distance between it and the university was just big enough for him to slurp another large cup of coffee before the professor entered the large lecture hall.

Thomas stood in the short line before the second checkout, looking around as he waited, and he had to gulp for air when his eyes fell upon the waitstaff, a tall boy with sandy blond hair, blue eyes and rosy cheeks. His face was still boyishly rounded, but his body was built like the body of an ancient Greek god – at least those parts of his body Thomas could see because they weren't hidden by the counter.

The boy called well muscled shoulders and arms and a broadly built torso his own that made Thomas sweat despite the rather cold breeze blowing through the opened door. The brown apron hugged the boy's figure tightly, and the rolled up sleeves of his beige shirt drew the watcher's gaze to his forearms and his beautiful hands.

Thomas had a thing for beautiful hands, and the watch sitting on the boy's wrist just added to the tempting images of those arms holding him tight flashing unbidden before Thomas' eyes all of a sudden.

“Good morning. What can I do for you?”

Thomas blinked, and he snapped his mouth shut when he realized that he'd been staring at the picture of male beauty before him with his jaw dropped open, his face burning with embarrassment. He hadn't even noticed that he was the next in the line, and he gulped for air as he tried to make his voice work again.

“Uhmm, do you have coffee?”

The tall boy gazed down at him with a bemused expression and a questioningly raised eyebrow, his lips twitching just a tiny bit. “This is a coffee shop,” he replied patiently but not very helpful, and Thomas bit down on his bottom lip when he forced himself to meet the boy's eyes. He was pretty tall, at least 1,90m if Thomas was right, and his own eyes were just in the height of the other one's nameplate.

_Manuel._

So his Greek god answered to the name Manuel – one of Thomas' favorite names of all names. Thomas wanted to taste the sound on his tongue, but Manuel's next words pulled him out of his dazed state. “I don't want to rush you, I can serve the next one until you've decided what you want.”

Thomas' head snapped up. “Uhm, no, I know what I want. Do you have coffee - I mean simple black coffee? There are so many different versions of Latte and milk coffee on your menu, but I can't see black coffee there...”

Manuel smiled at him, and Thomas forgot how to breathe for a moment. “That would be coffee crema,” he said, turning around to fill a large paper cup with Thomas' desired black coffee. Thomas almost burnt his fingers and dropped the mug when the boy handed it over the counter, but he somehow managed to pay for his coffee and leave the shop without embarrassing himself even further.

He did burn his tongue when he took a heartfelt sip from the black brew though, but he hardly noticed it because Manuel was raising his hand in some kind of goodbye just when he turned his head to catch one last look at him, and Thomas was on cloud number nine for the rest of the day, not even caring about the bad grade he got in one of his tests.

 

***

 

From that fateful morning on, Thomas came back to the coffee shop every morning except for the weekends, and after three or four weeks, his coffee crema was already waiting for him when he pushed the door to the shop open. Manuel would always smile and wink at him when he grabbed his cup and put the money on the counter, his small cap sitting askew on his sandy blond hair. The coffee was actually not the reason why Thomas spent a considerable amount of his limited money supplies for the extra cup, it wasn't really bad, but not that good either, but Thomas had fallen in love right at first sight with the tall Adonis selling it, and he felt drawn to the coffee shop and its special waitstaff like a moth felt drawn to the light that would burn it in the end.

Thomas needed two more months to work up the courage and ask Manuel for his number, and another two days until he actually called him. They spent the next two months with talking on the phone for hours before Thomas asked him out for a date, but from this day on, things went on rather smoothly. Thomas didn't remember much of the movie they had watched, but he remembered how they sat on a bench in the park near the university afterwards, talking until the sky became gray with the early morning sun again.

Manuel was a student like Thomas, studying sports and German to become a teacher one day, which matched perfectly with Thomas' wish to become a teacher as well, only that he was studying chemistry and geography. They spent more and more time with each other, and a month or so after their first date, Thomas kissed Manuel for the first time.

It was a shy and chaste kiss because Thomas still wasn't sure whether or not his Greek god returned his feelings, and his heart was hammering in his chest. Adonis like Manuel had probably a long tail of admirers and didn't look at clumsy and lanky boys who behaved like Thomas had done on his first day in the coffee shop, but Manuel kissed him back with the same enthusiasm, and it didn't take long until their kisses became deeper and bolder.

Thomas was pretty happy with his life, and he didn't feel the need to rush things as he sensed that Manuel wasn't ready for more than passionate kisses and some fumbling and stroking, thinking that he would have all the time in the world with the boy he was crazy in love with to take things further.

His illusion crashed one rainy morning about a year after their first meeting, shortly before the next semester started. Manuel wasn't smiling when he sat down next to Thomas on their favorite bench in the park. Thomas felt his jeans soak wet because of the damp seat, but he didn't care, just stared at Manuel when the other boy looked at him.

“I need to go back to my hometown and finish my studies there. My people don't have enough money to support me any longer, and I can't work more than I'm already doing, I'm sorry, Thommy.”

Thomas didn't know what to say, and he just nodded, feeling numb and cold inside. Their last kiss was as shy and chaste as their first one had been, bittersweet because they both knew that it would be their last kiss. The distance was too big to even think of trying to keep their relationship up, and two weeks later, Thomas stopped visiting the coffee shop because he had no reason to go there any longer. His beloved Adonis was gone, and Thomas averted his eyes from the shop when he walked down the street, his lips pressed to a grim line.

Time was passing by, and Thomas focused on his studies to distract himself from his heartache. It earned him good grades, and the deep wound in his heart Manuel's departure had left slowly healed to a scar that was aching only once in a while when Thomas had too much time to think about him.

He got a good post at a prestigious school in Munich and made new friends, and Thomas thought that he was actually pretty lucky. He had never met another man like Manuel again, but he had a good job he loved and close friends, and he told himself firmly that this was all he wanted and needed every time doubts started to gnaw at him – every time he was passing the small and unobtrusive coffee shop where he'd fallen in love with Manuel.

 

***

 

“He did it! I had already given up hope, but yesterday before he had to go back home he actually asked me!!! You'll be my best man, don't you, Thommy?”

Thomas hadn't even opened the door fully when his best friend Mats was already asking this important question, embracing the dark-blond excitedly.

Thomas was pushed against the wall of his corridor with a loud “uff!”, but he chuckled, hugging his best friend back. “So Benny finally asked you to marry him?” he said, and Mats pulled at the thin necklace around his neck to show the ring to him that was attached to it.

“Yes, he did. It took him some time to get a new job here in Munich, you know how long it takes the authorities to get such things done, but he finally got a good one on a vocational school not so far away from our secondary school. He didn't want to propose to me until he had found a job here, and we decided to marry during the summer vacations. His best friend from his hometown will be his best man, and I want you to be mine.”

Thomas felt touched, and he smiled at Mats. “Of course I'll be your best man, Mats. Do I have to organize anything for you?”

Mats shook his head. “No, Benny and I don't like surprises as you know. He forbade his friend to organize anything as well, we will do that ourselves. You only have to be punctual!”

Mats and Benny had met during a summer course in England and fallen in love with each other right away. They were together for two years now, and the long distance between Gelsenkirchen and Munich had been a challenge, but they had managed to overcome all hardships and Thomas was truly happy for them. Sometimes he wondered if he should have tried harder, maybe it had worked out between him and Manuel as well, but it was too late to think about that now, and Thomas pushed the thought aside and listened to Mats' excited rambling with an understanding smile plastered all over his face.

 

***

 

It was a beautiful sunny summer morning when Thomas climbed the stairs to the register office where Mats and Benny would marry, dressed in a black suit, a white dress shirt and a red tie, his best friend walking beside him almost stumbling over his own feet because of his nervousness. Mats' face was pale, and Thomas patted his arm to soothe him.

“Benny loves you, he will be punctual. If I had to guess, then I would say that he's already waiting for you!”

“Do you really think so? I shouldn't have agreed to us spending the night apart from each other before our wedding. What if he's still sleeping because of the party last night his best friend dragged him to? What if he has changed his mind about us?”

“Benny would never do that to you. Why would he? He's worshiping the ground you're walking upon, Mats. Ah, look, he's there – as pale as you are. We're obviously the last ones – and this even though it will still take half an hour until the scheduled time.” Thomas was right, Benny was already standing before the closed door that led to the office, pacing up and down like a caged lion, his eyes darting back and forth between his watch and the stairs just when Thomas and Mats appeared on the last step. His family were sitting on the benches just like Mats' family, murmuring with each other and looking at the clock hanging over the closed door, but Thomas didn't really see them, his eyes glued to the tall figure leaning against the white wall next to the door with a calm expression on his handsome face.

His Greek god was not a boy any longer, but his features were still youthful, his cheeks round and rosy like Thomas remembered it. His body was still the body of an ancient Greek god, and the dark suit he was wearing didn't leave anything to the imagination. Thomas felt hot and flushed all of a sudden, shy and nervous like the boy he'd once been when he'd seen Manuel for the first time, dressed with that ridiculous brown apron and the small cap sitting lopsided on his head.

Manuel's tie was blue like Benny's, and his blue eyes widened when he recognized Thomas, staring back at him in shocked astonishment.

Time stood still, and Thomas ignored Mats and Benny staring at Manuel and him when he walked over to the man his heart had longed for all those years, gazing up at Manuel with a shy smile.

“Hello Manu! It took you damn long to come back to me, didn't it?”

 

***

 

Mats and Benny were dancing cheek to cheek hours later, the wedding party still in full swing when Thomas found Manuel sitting on the terrace, staring into the darkness with a thoughtful expression.

They hadn't had time to talk after Thomas' first welcome, both of them busied with their duties as the happy couple's best men. This was Mats and Benny's day, and Thomas and Manuel had looked at each other in silent agreement that they would talk to each other later. Their friends and families luckily hadn't asked nosy questions – probably because Mats and Benny had told them not to do that - and this was the first time they didn't need to make small talk and smile after hours of keeping up appearances.

“So you are Benny's mysterious best friend.”

Manuel turned his head to look at him, his face partly hidden in the dark shadows. “And you are Mats' best friend. I should have known that after what Bene told me about you. He never mentioned your name though, but he did mention that you're teaching chemistry and geography – a rather unusual combination.”

Thomas pulled a face. “The same here. But the combination of sports and German is not that unusual. We were both blind, I guess. Are you happy, Manuel? Is there someone making you smile when you're feeling sad? You have to tell me if this is the case, because if it's not, then I don't want to waste any more time with feeling sorry for all those years I wasn't the one doing that for you. Life is too short to think about missed chances, and I won't let you walk out of my life just like that this time.”

Several emotions were flickering over Manuel's face. “No, there isn't anybody making me smile the way you made me smile when we were together, Thommy. And I really don't want to waste any more time with feeling sorry for what could have been either.”

Thomas pulled his head down for a kiss before Manuel had the chance to say more, and their first kiss after all those years wasn't shy and chaste at all, but deep and passionate. Life had offered them a second chance, and Thomas would make the best out of it. This time he wouldn't watch Manuel leave him again, this time he would fight for their love.

 

***

 

The moon was shining onto the couple lying on the crumpled sheets, caressing their heated bodies with its silver rays like soft fingers. Thomas couldn't get enough of his Greek Adonis, stroking and kissing every inch of Manuel's body as they made love for the first time. Manuel pulled his head down for another deep and passionate kiss when Thomas slowly pushed into him for the first time, his nails digging into Thomas' short hair to urge him on.

Manuel felt so perfect around him, hot and tight, smooth like precious silk. He felt like home and everything Thomas had always longed for, and when he looked into Manuel's eyes, he could see that it was the same for him.

“I love you, Manu,” Thomas said, “I've loved you from the moment I stumbled into the coffee shop and saw you standing there dressed with that awful brown apron. I thought that you looked like a Greek god with your face and your body, and I never stopped loving you, even not when I let you walk away without any other word.”

“I love you too, Thommy.” Manuel smiled at him, his strong arms holding Thomas tight as if he never wanted to let go of him again. “I saw this lanky boy walking through the door, and I fell in love with his sheepish smile and his astonishing eyes right away. I thought that you would never ask me for my number, but I was too shy to do that myself. You were all I would never be, and I couldn't think of any reason why you would love me back.”

“But I do. Very much.” Thomas kissed him again, and they were still kissing when they both reached the height of ecstasy together. Life sometimes took unexpected turns, and Thomas was just grateful that Mats and Benny falling in love with each other had led to Manuel coming back into his life again. This time he would hold on to Manuel because their love was strong enough to overcome every obstacle lying in their way, just like Mats and Benny's love had been strong enough to have a happy ending after two years of separation.

Thomas' tender kiss when they were slowly coming down from their high was a promise of the bright future that lay ahead of them, and Manuel gave him the same promise when he kissed him back, now that they had eventually found each other again.

The moon was still shining through the window when they fell asleep in each other's arms hours later, smiling in their pleasant dreams.

No matter which kind of turns life decided to take, Thomas and Manuel would walk the long and winding road life actually was together, always remembering where everything had started:

in a small coffee shop where they had once met, back then when they had still been young and rather foolish boys.

 

***

 

It was a beautiful sunny morning in early autumn when Thomas and Manuel visited the coffee shop together, sitting down in a small corner before the window. The coffee crema was still not the best, just like Thomas remembered it, but for him it was the best coffee he'd ever drunk because Manuel's eyes were shining with love when he asked him to marry him, pushing the small ring onto Manuel's finger.

The boy behind the counter gazing curiously at them when they sealed their love with a kiss wore the same brown apron Manuel had once worn, and Thomas smiled when he saw him looking after a pretty young girl that had just bought a huge cup of coffee. The girl turned her head to smile at the boy before she left the shop, and the boy smiled back at her, almost pouring coffee when he went back to his work with glowing cheeks.

Maybe he and Manuel had just witnessed another love story blooming in their favorite coffee shop, Thomas thought when they left, holding hands as they stepped outside into the bright sunshine - and right into their new bright and happy life as well.


End file.
